Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Ascension Island - A Vegetarian Yorkshire Pudding

Finding recipes from Ascension Island was next to impossible, since 1) only 1,000 people live there, 2) almost all of them are British, working on the Air Force Base, and 3) they like fish.

I eventually caved in and cooked a traditional British dish to celebrate their nationalitiy, if not their locality.

If anyone knows an Ascension Island favorite, I’m dying to hear it.

This recipe is modified from the Inn on the Cove Culinary Column, and was truly delicious.

Recipe: Vegetarian Yorkshire Pudding
Makes ~6 large “puddings”

6 tsp oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 onion, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and cubed
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place 1 tsp of oil in the bottom of 6 cups of a standard muffin tin.

With an electric mixer, beat the eggs until they are frothy, then beat in the milk. Mix in the flour and 1/2 tsp salt, and continue to beat for about 2 minutes, until a smooth batter forms.

Pour batter into the 6 muffin tins, almost filling them to the top. Place the muffin tin on a baking sheet in case the batter overflows, then bake for 30 minutes. Do not open the oven door during that time! When they’re done, they should be golden, enormous, and puffy, with a crisp exterior and a soft, moist center.

While the muffins cook, make the filling. Saute the onions and carrots in a little oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the thyme and salt.

When the muffins are done, stuff their puffy centers with the onion-carrot mixture. Eat warm.

6 comments:

Lis said...

This looks and sounds delicious! You bring so many dishes that I've never heard of before to my eyes that my list is ever growing ;) I'm curious, which is your favorite(s)?

This looks like something that would be wonderful to add to our Thanksgiving dinner!

Anonymous said...

Selby, I love making the dishes that you post on this blog, but somehow they never turn out as pretty as yours do :( I made this recipe and it tasted *fabulous*, but I can't even describe what it looked like. Crooked bread with some stuff mashed into it, I don't know. But man, did it taste good...

Anonymous said...

Hi, I'm from Ascension Island and originally from Yorkshire (I even used to be a vegetarian), so I certainly approve of your recipe.

If you would like recipes from Ascension Island and St Helena (they're the same recipes, neighbouring islands) I'd be happy to help.

How can I contact you?

Regards

Paul

Anonymous said...

Also there are a few Ascension images on our web site:

www.catherineandpaul.com

Curiosity Killed the Cook said...

Hi Paul,

That would be wonderful! Thank you! You can email me at curiositykilledthecook@gmail.com.

Thanks again!
~SC

Almost Vegetarian said...

Marvelous idea, that. My version is merely Yorkshire Pud (sans beef drippings) and roasted veg (lots of root veg cut up, tossed with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt and fresh rosemary). Wonderfully filling. Cheers!